When Sally Bennett was renovating her home in Charleston, SC she found that the type of floor she really wanted was not available in the marketplace.
She thought about cement Morrocan tiles – they would give her the color and pattern she was after but they were too cold and hard for her living room. With practicality in mind (and a two year old) she decided wood tiles were much more “mommy friendly” than the cement versions which had inspired her. “Little heads get a much softer bump from wood than they do from tile,” she says.
She started researching and discovered there was nothing like this available in the marketplace. After months of hard work digging into the nitty gritty of the wood flooring industry (she never imagined that it would be her calling, but it suddenly seemed fascinating and glamorous), she finally hit on a manufacturing process that would produce wood tiles that were as durable as any wood floor, but with her own beautiful designs, just like she’d painted them.
The tongue-and-groove design also made the installation a breeze. It didn’t take long for Sally to realize she was sitting on something much bigger than her foyer floor. With a portfolio of patterns in hand and a manufacturer solidified, Mirth Studio emerged right alongside her new home. “Nearly every floor in the house is a prototype,” she says.
We know Sally is fun and always up to something new, as you can tell from her answers to our Tete-a-Tete questions.
Favorite drink before noon?
STRONG COFFEE… the blackest, muddiest New Orleans Roast (think Café du Monde)
available
Favorite drink at 6pm?
Something we made for a party recently ….Gin, St. Germain, fresh lime, club soda and a
sprig of Rosemary—fresh and crisp!
Wine: red, white or champagne?
All of the above!
Hors d’ouerves that is always in the cabinet or fridge?
Goat Cheese, Fig Spread & Cranberry Crisps from Traders Joes and, of course, fresh
South Carolina Shrimp right off the boat!
Music go to when friends are over…. i.e. Pandora station?
Right now I am into Fado (Portuguese Music) after my recent travels…trying to keep
it going…otherwise I turn to my teenage daughters to keep me in tune.
Where would you like to go on vacation?
Like I mentioned, I just returned from Portugal and cannot wait to go back to explore
this country more in depth! The tiles, architecture, and way of life have inspired me to
begin work on designing an entire series for a future collection of my tiles. Thinking I
also need a European trip in the coming months with the rest of my family.
Favorite flower?
Hydrangeas, Allium…love the blues and purples and the big, bold blooms—but
anything with bright color can be my favorite at any given time.
Dream guest to have over for dinner?
Jonathan Adler and his boyfriend Simon Doonan…they are both super talented,
hysterical and some kind of cool.
Favorite restaurant?
Hunters’ Tavern at The Tidewater Inn in Easton, MD. After growing up in Maryland,
this is my go-to comfort food place for a taste of home!
And favorite thing to eat at this restaurant?
The lump crabcakes with the house made mustard sauce…YUM!!!
WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO OFFER MIRTH STUDIO PORTABLE DANCE FLOOR PANELS!
When a local event rental came to us wanting a beautiful pattern dance floor for a very special wedding, we decided why not? After researching the market and discovering there was nothing special available in wood dance floors we teamed up with a dance floor manufacturer with over 50 years in the industry to create Mirth Studio Portable Flooring! Some brides have used our portable tiles for their wedding dance floors and after the wedding installed them in their home! This is a really special way to celebrate the big day and you can dance on our floors every night thereafter!
